Comfort
by SophieSaulie
Summary: As a team member fights for his life, the rest endure the waiting with thoughts of how that member had comforted them. Not a deathfic, I promise.
1. Chapter 1

**Comfort**

**Not a deathfic. **

He was on his knees. Trying to stand was agony. Pain shattered his body and tried to cloud his mind, but he focused away from it. Each move brought wave after fresh wave of pain into his body, but he had to get up. He had to warn them, help them if he didn't pass out first. He chided himself inwardly for getting ambushed. He pulled one leg under him and cried out, bracing against the wall with his right hand, leaving bloody handprints there. He pulled the other leg under him and steadied himself. He got his cell phone out of his pocket and fumbled to find the number he needed. He pressed the name on the screen, leaving more bloody fingerprints on it. He heard the pick up.

"Gunman…headed your way…on my way."

He hung up quickly knowing there would be a flood of questions that would waste precious minutes they didn't have. He'd have to hope that the trust that had developed there over the months would be unshaken and enough that they would just spring into action on the warning alone without question. He took one step and groaned, the pain, red hot, searing, almost causing him to black out. He had to keep his mind clear of the pain, but his body wasn't cooperating. He dialed another number.

"Need back up…Five-0 offices. Gunman…"

He hung up again because even with his body protesting, his need to get to his friends was greater than any pain. He had done all he could to get help there, to warn his friends. The rest was up to them and his ability to lend assistance, which he felt was diminishing every minute. He took in a breath and with a grunt he pumped adrenaline into his body and hobbled to the offices.

He had to brace himself along the wall all the way there, but he heard the gunfire and it gave him renewed strength. He pushed himself through the doors and crouched, causing sharp stabbing pain to hit him. His arms were outstretched, if shaking from the pain, his gun ready to shoot. Each step he took was challenging his ability to remain upright, but he kept going.

Finally, he saw the gunman, his back to him, not expecting anyone, let alone the man he shot and had left for dead to come up from behind. He took a little satisfaction at knowing that he would take the bastard out before he could hurt any of his friends, his comrades.

"Hey!" He yelled.

The gunman turned.

The look of shock on the gunman's face made him smile with satisfaction as he pumped three shots at him and brought him down. Spent and all his strength gone, he crumpled to the floor. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was "DANNY!"

**TBC **


	2. Chapter 2

**Comfort**

**Chapter 2**

The team was in the waiting room, Steve pacing like a nervous caged animal. Kono and Chin sitting next to each other letting their own thoughts wander as they waited.

Danny was in surgery. The doctors had been grim, but focused as they took him there.

"Damn it, Danny," Steve said with frustration and fear.

"Hey, he's going to be all right," Chin said as he got up to walk over to Steve.

"He should have just stayed put," Steve said more to himself, which he tended to do partly to think out loud, but mostly to berate himself at that moment.

"Boss, you know that he couldn't have done that," Chin said as comfort. "Any more than any of us could have."

Steve nodded.

"I know, I know, it's just…"

"You don't want to see one of your own fighting for his life. I know, but Danny, he's as strong as they come. You know that," Chin said as he placed a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Doesn't help though, does it?" Steve said.

"It never does, brah, but it's what Danny needs from us right now. We need to give him our belief in him."

"Not a problem there," Steve said as the tension finally wore him down enough to sit.

He ran his fingers through his hair. Funny, how the mind worked in situations like these. When his father had been killed, he had become like ice; cold, determined and, sad for Danny, filled with the vendetta that he had called him on. He had felt Danny's razor sharp read of him unsettling. He had prided himself on being well guarded, on task, emotionally in charge in a way where his command would never be challenged, just acquiesced to, but not by Danny. Danny had seen through him and had pushed back. Punched back to be accurate and Steve had an instant respect for him that he had never achieved so quickly with anyone else in his life other than his family.

When he had misread Nick, a friend who he had thought he knew well enough to read just as easily as Danny had read Steve that first day, it ate away at his confidence. Once again, Danny's instantaneous dislike for Nick should have been a clue and should have been taken on its face value. In his own colorful way, Danny had pushed back against Nick too, but Steve had just ignored it because he couldn't believe that someone he had only known for a few months could possibly have read Nick so accurately. After all, Danny had hated Steve at first so he just believed that once he got to know Nick, he'd be won over as well. He had been wrong on so many levels yet Danny had only been supportive, had comforted him, not only for the loss of his friend, but that there was no way he could have seen what Nick had become.

"_You okay?"_

"_Yeh. I should've known."_

"_No, no, you shouldn't have. How could you have known?"_

"_You knew."_

"_No, no, no, I suspected. There's a big difference and the view was a lot different from where I was standing. This guy Taylor was your friend and he used that to his advantage."_

Earlier when Danny had teased him about being better at choosing his friends, Steve, without a moment's thought, told him that he couldn't have been that bad since he had chosen Danny as a friend. Danny had laughed, but Steve had meant every word. It had been an investment that he would appreciate over and over again.

When Mary had been kidnapped and he had been overwhelmed with worry and self-recrimination, it had been Danny who had been the cool head, comforting him by making him see he wasn't thinking rationally. He had helped him off the ledge that day.

"_I should have seen this coming."_

"_You should have seen what coming? A kidnapping?" _

"_No, Mary digging around the box. I mean she's my sister. I know what she's like. The minute that she found out that dad was looking into her mother's murder, then I…she would have never have let that go, now, it's my fault she's missing, I don't know where she is, for all I know right now –"_

"_You…You don't know anything, all right? Your sister Mary is a very smart girl, could we just think positive for a little bit? Can we do that?"_

"_Danny, they took her. She saw their faces."_

"_They took her because she is valuable to them understand that. She's valuable. She knows what's inside that box and they want to know what she knows, all right? This is a good thing. This keeps her alive, you understand?" _

Danny had been, as much, friend as cop that day and Steve had needed both. All Steve could think about at that moment as he waited for Danny to emerge from surgery was that this newfound partnership, a partnership that had felt as comfortable as any he had ever known couldn't end as quickly as it had begun, with a gunshot.

**TBC - Thanks for reading so far! More to come.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Comfort**

**Chapter 3**

Kono was scared, as she had never been before. Their team had just formed. It was new and yet it felt like they had been together for years. Everything about working with the men on the task force had been a joy for her. It was like having three big brothers watching out for her, but even more so, men who would die protecting her. It may seem morose to someone who didn't understand their friendship, who would see their team as just a group of people who did a job together. Dying for someone would seem foolhardy to anyone who didn't know them, but Kono understood, felt that connection immediately.

Each of them brought a kind of skill and expertise, even her. Danny had affectionately teased her that it was her roundhouse kick which could subdue any man. Even though she knew she had a lot to learn, none of the men had made her feel like a rookie and none of them felt that entrusting their lives to her was a mistake, especially Danny. She LOVED how he ranted about things. Sometimes, she knew that he did it for their entertainment, other times, it was with a purpose that she often admired. Like when he ranted to Nick Taylor about not treating the rest of them like they were outsiders just because they weren't CIA or any other covert operator. She admired Danny for speaking his mind and though he never said it, she knew he was standing up for her too.

Danny had always treated her like an equal. She felt his respect for her fully and she appreciated it more than she could ever tell him. She knew that Chin respected her, but he was family. She knew Steve felt protective of her and as much as she had enjoyed that protection, it had been Danny and Danny alone who had treated her like she could handle herself and that meant the world to her.

When she had lost her surfing mentor, Ian, a few months ago, a man who had been like a father figure and teacher with whom she had credited for giving her a perspective on life as much as what it meant to be a surfer, it had devastated her. It made her question her career choice because she hadn't been able to save him. What was the point if she couldn't save the one person who had meant everything to her? Danny had comforted her, had even made her laugh by making fun of the constipated look that Steve gets when they defied him. Danny understood her need to work on the case, to feel she was doing something useful in helping them all find the killer of her friend. He had felt that same determination when his partner had been killed then framed.

"_Hey? Hey. You cannot blame yourself, okay?"_

"'_Kay. I just felt helpless out there."_

"_I know. Cops. We're supposed to come in to save the day, but sometimes we just can't."_

Kono had watched Danny save the day so many times since she had met him. It came easy to him, like breathing. Steve was reckless and she knew it wasn't meant to be self-destructive, it was just how Steve rolled. Danny, though, he had always acted with Grace in mind. He wouldn't just dive into a pool that had no water in it yet all of them knew that when he was needed, for anything, he would be there. Just like he had been today. The doctors had said that it had been a miracle Danny had stood up to get to them, let alone shoot the gunman. He'd been shot four times. It had taken tremedous effort to get to them and the damage caused by that effort had been extensive, but Kono knew that Danny wasn't capable of just standing by knowing his friends needed back up.

She hadn't noticed, at first, but she had started to cry. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but couldn't do the same with the ache in her heart.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Comfort**

**Chapter 4**

Chin watched his cousin tear up and couldn't blame her. They had all become close and they had worked well together from day one. They had connected seamlessly and quickly. He had a particular affinity with Danny because of his strength of conviction.

Watching Danny fiercely defend the reputation of his partner, defying all the naysayers, knowing his partner so well that even the mere theoretical suggestion that Meka was a dirty cop was discarded out of hand without the slightest hesitation had made Chin wish that Danny had been there for him, had been his partner when his reputation had been ruined. For that reason alone, Chin had rallied behind Danny when everyone else, including Steve, doubted his conviction towards his partner's innocence.

Danny had already proven that he would defend each one of them with that very same fierce fervor of conviction when they had gone together to the Governor's office to face whatever punishment awaited them after stealing from the evidence locker. Danny had told Steve that they were in it together, that just because Steve had taken it upon himself to steal the money alone, to protect them so that only he would take the fall if they got caught, didn't mean Danny would let him or any one of them face the consequences alone. He knew what they were going to do and had been on board with it. He wasn't going to turn a blind eye to it and by acknowledging that, it had made him equally responsible and Chin knew that being the principled cop and man that he was, Danny wouldn't shirk away from it. He admired him for his loyalty to them and for teaching Grace by example what it meant to be true to your convictions, to maintain your integrity, and to support your friends during dark times. Danny had done all that and more.

In that same moment, when Chin had feared that he had put into jeopardy other distinguished careers, as well as Kono's budding one, when he had been ambushed by Hesse, Danny saw his concern and quickly allayed his fears with a comforting assurance that had been worth more than any monetary value he could have placed on it.

"_Hey, listen, whatever happens, none of us would have done anything any different, all right?"_

He had felt honored that someone whose opinion he had respected highly would sacrifice his career for him, that Danny had no regrets in doing so based solely on his belief in a friend.

Chin had been the first to reach Danny after he had collapsed. He looked down at his pants, the wetness there suddenly breaking his reverie as well as reminding him of what had happened a few short hours ago. He had kneeled into the pool of Danny's blood that had been quickly forming beneath him as he tried to staunch the flow, but even fifteen years in HPD where he had seen his share of death hadn't prepared him for the emotional shock of not knowing where to start applying first aid. So many wounds, most of which were covered in their own blood trails. Chin found himself wondering at that moment how Danny could even still be alive let alone how he had made it to them as well as kill the gunman to save them.

As he sat in the waiting room, he rubbed his face just as he had in the anteroom of the Governor's office, the only difference was that Danny wasn't there to comfort this time and the silence was deafening.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

C**omfort **

**Chapter 5**

_"What are you looking at? We're all in this together."_

Steve heard Danny's voice in his head, the statement, simple and yet so filled with certainty. He needed that assurance now, but the man who had given him that on that day was fighting to stay alive.

The last few hours had been a blur. One minute they were hovering over the touchscreen reviewing a case and the next he was getting a call from Danny saying that a gunman was heading their way. Steve wanted to call him back, Danny's tone raising the hairs at the back of his neck as well made his blood run cold. Though they had teased each other about Steve having a face and Danny having a tone, what he had heard over his cell phone sent a shard of icy cold dread throughout his body. Danny's voice had sounded pained yet remarkably there was also an unquestionable sense of authority in it. Danny gave no option to question it, counting on an implicit trust that his friend would just act based solely on his word and Steve had done just that. Danny had more than earned that trust from everyone on the team so they mobilized to take on whoever was gunning for them.

In the back of his mind, Steve had worried about the pain he had heard in Danny's voice. Instinct told him there was more than simple discomfort in the timbre of it.

When Danny's warning had become reality, they had been ready thanks to him, but in the end, it had been Danny who had taken the gunman out, saving all of them.

_Flashback_

_Steve had watched him drop to the ground and had yelled out his name. He then saw Chin reach Danny first. The look on his face made Steve pale._

_"Kono! Call EMS!" Steve yelled._

_"On it, Boss!" _

_Steve bent down opposite Chin and looked down at Danny's still body and expression. It was unreal to see him without the characteristic arms flailing in descriptive sweeps and the verbal jibes. Silence was not a natural state for Danny Williams and that frightened Steve._

_"Danny? Danny! Can you hear me?"_

_Danny stirred, clearly moaning and stiffening in pain. His eyes opened in slits at first then slowly widened. His breathing was phlegmy and punctuated with groaning._

_"N...not so loud...have...you no respect... for the dying?" Danny joked reassuringly._

_Steve was both relieved at hearing Danny's response yet afraid of his injuries, that Danny knew something that they didn't and was hiding behind humor to prepare them._

_"You're not dying! You hear me?"_

_Danny moaned again._

_"Keep yelling like that...and you'll raise the dead."_

_Danny saw a terror in Steve's eyes that he had never seen, not even when faced with death himself. He knew what he had to do even though he wasn't sure he would come out the other side of his necessary white lie. _

_"Not planning on...going anywhere."_

_"Good. Good." Steve said, gaining that reassuring feeling of comfort that only Danny seemed to be able to give with his assurances._

"_Now, let me sleep…will ya?"_

_Danny closed his eyes, exhaustion finally overtaking him, his breathing still uneven. The EMS personnel then came storming through the office, gently pushing Steve and Chin out of their way. They hooked Danny up to monitors, stabilized him for transport then wheeled him away on a gurney._

_Steve, Chin, and Kono watched in silent horror and disquiet as their friend was carried away. Once out of their eyesight, they allowed themselves to look downward. All the blood shocked them._

"_I'm going to follow Danny," Steve said as he ran out to the lobby._

Steve kept staring at the clock in the waiting room. Danny had been in surgery for just two hours. It felt like it had been days ago when he had gone in.

"Steve!" A voice called to him.

He shook himself from his reverie to see Rachel and Grace coming towards them. He had found some clarity to call them, not wanting them to hear the news from any one else. He and Danny knew how important it was who broke news like that to family and how it had to be done. Danny had a particular gift at being gentle and sympathetic that brought instant calm and cooperation. Steve was better at threats and intimidation.

"_Hey, you're not going to have to worry about that. Doctor said that he's strong and that he's gonna pull through so you gotta be strong too." _

So as Rachel and Grace approached them, all he could feel was inadequate and completely inept. Still, he owed Danny to be there for his family. Hopefully that would be enough to do and say the right things.

"Where's Danno?" Grace said in her scared little girl voice.

Steve swallowed back his own tears.

**TBC – Thanks for continuing to read. More POVs to come! Thanks for your kind reviews.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Comfort**

**Chapter 6**

When Rachel had gotten the call from Steve, her mind filtering out everything except "Danny", "shot", "hospital", she had almost dropped the phone. It had brought her back to when they were married. It hadn't been the arguing that had driven their marriage into ruins. It had been the fear of a call just like the one she was getting now that had wreaked havoc on her psyche and that finally had made her give in to the harsh reality that she was a coward, that she was not cut out to be a cop's wife. It was irrational, she knew it, but there was one similar call during their marriage that had sealed the end.

_Flashback_

_Danny had been shot. At the time, they didn't know how badly. His partner had called to tell her that she should rush to the hospital. Grace had been a toddler and Rachel had to find someone to babysit before she could get there. When she had gotten there, the doctors had told her that the injury had not been life threatening and that Danny would be okay yet those words had provided no comfort to her. _

_She had walked into Danny's room, seeing him hooked up to all kinds of machines made her almost sick to her stomach. She walked over to Danny, frightened as she had never been in her life and yet also relieved to see him smiling back at her._

"_Hey…" He said as he took her hand in his. "You okay? How's Grace?"_

_Rachel took in a breath. She was on the verge of crying._

"_I'm fine, Danny. Grace is with Margaret for now," Rachel said._

_Danny watched Rachel's face barely holding back her emotions and lifted his hand to stroke her cheek. He did it with the back of his hand, a way that was unique to Danny and which was his way of comforting both her and Grace. He used to tease that he had seen on Animal Planet that monkeys did that to show affection. Monkey became Grace's pet name soon after that. Rachel leaned into it and closed her eyes. It always worked._

"_Rachel, I'm going to be okay. I'm sorry I scared you. It's just –"_

"_Part of the job, I know, but Danny…"_

"_Hey, I love you and Grace and I want you to know that I would never do anything that would hurt you."_

"_I know that, but no matter how hard you try, the danger, it's out there and I get scared, Danny. I'm scared that someday I'll lose you, that Grace will be without a father…"_

_Danny watched Rachel let her emotions flood her body and drew her closer to him. She then embraced him, so hard that Danny felt the pressure on his wound, but didn't retract. He just held on and let her cry. _

"_You'll never lose me. I'll always be there." Danny comforted as he kept her in his embrace._

Danny had kept his promise. Through the bitter arguments, the attempts at trying to keep the danger of his job away from Grace, Danny had proven that no matter how far Rachel wanted to run away from him, he would be there for both of them. He had uprooted his life in New Jersey to come to Hawaii so that he could be with his daughter, just to have whatever precious time she would allow him. Rachel had never doubted Danny's love for Grace, but she had underestimated how far he had been willing to go to be present in her life, to be the best father he could be, not just someone who would endure the few hours given to him on select days. It had made Rachel regret hurting him when all he had ever wanted was to be with his daughter.

When danger had come to them having nothing to do with Danny and his job, but with Stan, she had been shaken. She thought she had chosen the safest life with Stan. When they had been carjacked, all she could think about was Grace and saving her. The first person she had called was Danny and he had come running. Seeing him run up to Grace and hold her tightly to him brought relief to Rachel. Danny's presence and confidence without arrogance always did soothe both her and Grace and he tabled their differences to let her know that she had done the right thing.

"_What if they had taken Grace –"_

"_They didn't. You did a good job. You protected her, okay?"_

Stan had told her everything that Danny had done at the end of that harrowing day. He had taken the tapes and would follow through with exposing the housing commissioner. Relief filled her as Danny removed the danger from them, but she was also worried that danger would come for him. He would say that it was part of the job. It was just like Danny to do that and all she had done was say, "thanks, again" as if it had been expected. She had regretted it from the moment she had said it. She had hoped that the look she had given him at the door had expressed more of her gratitude than her words had.

"Steve, how is Danny?" Rachel asked, holding Grace's hand, almost gripping it too hard as if to keep her excessively close to her.

"He's still in surgery," Steve said, his voice dry.

"What happened? Who did this?" Rachel asked on the verge of tears.

"We don't know yet. Chin is looking into it," Steve said, his heart heavy, his head bowed. "Danny saved our lives. He warned us so that we could be ready. I'm sorry."

Rachel noticed that Steve's demeanor was as if he had felt responsible for what had happened and she hoped to alleviate it, as she knew Danny would have wanted her to do.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Steve. This isn't your fault. Danny could have done nothing less."

"I know, but…he's my partner. I…"

"I understand, but you can't blame yourself. Danny wouldn't want that. He'd tell me all the time that it was all part of the job and I'm sure he'd say the same to you."

Grace then tugged at Rachel's arm. She looked down at her daughter who was looking more and more like her father everyday.

"When can we see, Danno, Mommy?"

Both Steve and Rachel were struck mute by the simple and yet heart aching question. Only Danny could comfort his little girl.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Comfort**

**Chapter 7**

Grace looked into her mother's eyes, scared. Her Danno was hurt and she knew he was hurt bad. She could tell by looking at her mom's face. Mommy would get mad at Danno sometimes, but he had explained that they weren't mad at her, that sometimes mommy and daddy fought and that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't stay together. She liked that Danno never talked down to her and most of all that he always wanted to spend time with her. She had friends at school whose dads were too busy to spend time with them, but not her Danno.

Danno loved her.

It had scared her when they had moved away. She remembered crying in her room, thinking that she'd never see him again. Hawaii seemed SO far away from where Danno lived and there was so much water. She knew that Danno didn't like water and didn't think he could swim to her, but then he moved there too. He told her that no matter what he would be there for her, that there was nothing he wouldn't do to be with her. She stopped crying because she knew that whatever Danno said, he made come true.

She loved her Danno.

He also told her that he was a policeman and that policemen caught bad guys so that they wouldn't hurt good people. He said that he liked his job and that it was an even better job than other policemen get to do because he got to protect her too. It made her smile to know that. He also told her that the job was dangerous and that he might get hurt sometimes, but he let her know that he would always be careful and that if he did get hurt, it was because he couldn't help it. He told her to never worry about him.

But she did worry sometimes. He was her Danno.

Like when the big storm hit, the tsunami, he had to leave her to help find someone important and though she had fun with Kamekona, especially beating him and his friends at five card draw, she thought about her Danno and wondered if he was okay, but he would call to check up on her and let her know he was okay.

"I love you, Monkey."

"I love you too."

Now, as she listened to Steve and her mommy talk about her Danno, she was scared again. She felt like she did when they had moved away and she thought that she would never see him again, all those thoughts about him never being Santa Claus at Christmas or just him hugging her for no good reason than that he loved her. It all came back. It must have shown on her face because Steve, Danno's new friend and partner, bent down to talk to her. She liked Steve. Danno complained a lot about him, at first, but later, he would tell her that Steve was like him, that he was there to help people and that he would protect her too. He said that she could trust him because he trusted him so when Steve bent down to talk to her, she was still scared, but she knew that Danno would want her to feel safe with Steve and she did.

"Gracie, your dad, he got hurt very badly today helping me, Kono, and Chin. The doctors are helping him now and I know they are doing their best to make him feel better, okay? But I want you to know that your dad is the best partner I've ever had and that he's strong because he loves you so much so don't worry."

Grace couldn't help, but think of Danno because that's what he would say so she knew that Steve must really like him to talk like him.

"Okay, Steve," she said then hugged him.

Steve was startled at first, but her trust in him made him feel comforted and he hugged her back fully. It didn't surprise him that Danny was a good father. It was in everything he did as a cop, but Grace was his finest work. Though he knew that Rachel was a good mother and Danny had even admitted that the only thing they were good at was at being parents, Steve saw so much of who Danny was in his little girl. He had showed her how much he loved her by simply being there for her and Steve was determined that Grace would feel no less safe and loved with him.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Comfort**

**Chapter 8**

It had felt like an eternity. Everyone had gathered in the waiting room. Rachel and Grace had fallen asleep and for Steve, it felt good to know that they had felt secure enough to do that despite their worry over Danny. Steve couldn't afford the luxury. His mind and body preventing him from resting until he could see Danny himself.

Chin had come back after changing his clothes and following up on who the gunman was. Steve appreciated Chin's dedication, knowing that he was just as worried as he was about Danny. Steve couldn't think straight and wouldn't be very helpful no matter how much he tried.

"Hear anything?" Chin asked.

"A nurse came out and told us that the surgery went well, but that there was a lot of internal damage…" Steve took in a deep breath and rubbed his face. "She said that Danny's in an induced coma to help him heal, but that complications were always possible like infection, more internal bleeding…"

"Boss, Danny is strong. He has a spirit that would never surrender and he has Grace. She gives him a will to live."

Steve nodded.

"Did you find out who did this to him?" Steve asked trying to get his head around something else for at least a fleeting moment.

"Yeh, the shooter was just your average gun for hire."

Steve perked up.

"Who hired him?"

"We traced his phone records to Bruce Hoffman, the Housing Commissioner."

Steve's face transformed into anger.

"The man who hired those carjackers."

"And whom Danny had tapes from Stan exposing his extortion," Chin confirmed.

Steve took in a dismayed breath, his face paled with some kind of realization.

"What? What is it, Boss?" Chin inquired, concerned over Steve's reaction at hearing that Hoffman had been behind Danny's shooting.

"Danny gave those tapes to me to give to the DA and I…" Steve's expression then changed again from anger to shock then guilt. "I forgot all about it. This is my fault. If I had done that, Danny wouldn't have been…"

"You can't blame yourself, brah. My guess is that he was also going to get those tapes. He would have killed all of us –"

"If Danny hadn't warned us."

Steve felt his body shake with anger, frustration, anguish and guilt. He had let Danny down. He had let them all down. He had put them all in jeopardy.

"Did you arrest Hoffman?"

"On my way now. HPD is sending officers to his office to keep Hoffman from skipping."

"I'm going with you!" Steve said, his anger overriding every other emotion. He needed satisfaction.

"No, Boss, you can't. You're not thinking clearly. I know how you feel, I do. It will take everything in me not to beat the man senseless, but you're too close to this, you can't come with me. You know that," Chin said while restraining Steve.

Steve's breathing started to slow as he heard Chin's cool and logical words.

"We owe it to Danny to make sure Hoffman pays with jail time. It's what he would want and you know that."

Steve took control of his breathing and emotions, knowing Chin was right. He had to honor Danny's dedication to proper justice even if every fiber of his being wanted to exact his own brand of justice.

"You're right, Chin. You're right," Steve said.

The commotion had awakened Rachel and Grace and Steve knew he owed them an explanation.

"You go ahead and process Hoffman. The tapes are in my safe. Danny made copies just in case something happened so take the originals to the DA's office. Do everything by the book. Make sure he pays for what he did."

Chin nodded and left.

"Who pays for what? Did they catch the person who did this to Danny?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, they did. Chin is going to make sure he pays for what he's done."

"Who was it?"

"It doesn't matter now," Steve said, realizing that telling her it had been Hoffman would only upset her.

"Tell me, Steve, I have a right to know."

Steve stalled a bit, but he knew Rachel well enough to know that she would keep demanding until she got an answer.

"It was Hoffman. He hired the shooter."

"Oh my God…" Rachel said.

"Rachel, it's not your fault."

"Danny protected us, even Stan, by taking the tapes from him to prosecute Hoffman on his own. I was worried something might happen…I didn't even appreciate…" Rachel said, her own emotions rushing to the surface.

"Listen to me, I understand what you're feeling, I really do, but you know Danny even better than I do so you know that he wouldn't have done anything different. I know that he didn't think twice about making sure that you were out of harm's way. It's something he did for us too. Danny always puts others first. It's what I admire most about him."

Rachel nodded in understanding, but the pain of knowing that Danny had substituted himself for them was still there. Steve was right. It was Danny's protective way. He knew no other way to be.

Grace's face started to crumble into tears too, not understanding what was happening, but sensing from all of the emotions that were spilling out of her mother and Steve that something was wrong. Steve saw it and knew he had to allay her fears.

"Grace, don't worry, okay? We caught the bad man who hurt your Danno and we're going to make sure that he doesn't hurt him or anyone else ever again just like your dad would want us to. I promise."

Grace nodded and this time it was Steve who brought her into his embrace. He hated that she had to suffer for what he still blamed himself for, but he knew that neither Rachel nor Grace needed to know that. In the end, Chin was right. Brooding about what might have been didn't help or change anything. All Steve could do was hope that he would get the chance to make it up to Danny someday. Steve wasn't a religious man, but he found himself praying that he would be given that chance.

Then the nurse came in.

"Detective Williams is in recovery. One of you can see him if you'd like, but only for a minute."

Rachel looked at Steve and nodded that he should go in first. Steve acknowledged his gratitude to her and followed the nurse out of the waiting room.

**TBC. Thanks for continuing to read and for the wonderful reviews. It's all very much appreciated. Glad you're enjoying it. More to come.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Comfort**

**Chapter 9**

Steve tentatively walked through the doors of the recovery room. He saw all the beds lined up with other patients who had emerged from their own surgeries and just kept following the nurse. She escorted him to the end of the long room. A curtain was wrapped around a space where he knew Danny was.

"Commander, I have to warn you that it might be upsetting to see all of the machines connected to Detective Williams, but they are necessary and are keeping him stable as well as allowing us to monitor him carefully."

Steve nodded then swallowed with difficulty.

The nurse pulled back the curtain and Steve saw Danny.

He was a man who had considered himself hardened from all he had experienced in his military life, but seeing Danny supported by so many life sustaining machines, not to mention, seeing Danny's body dwarfed by them as well as bandaged completely around his torso made him feel light-headed. The nurse had noticed.

"Are you all right, sir?"

Steve took a second to shake himself then said, "yeh, yeh, I'm all right."

"Okay, now, only a few minutes. I'll come to escort you out when it's time."

"Yes, thank you, nurse," Steve uttered in barely a whisper.

He stood over the bed feeling humbled by the medical technology surrounding him. The most shocking thing for him to comprehend was the ventilator in Danny's mouth. All the logic about how these machines were helping Danny didn't help Steve accept the image of his normally expressive and talkative partner being silenced by a ventilator helping him to even breathe.

"Danny, I only have a few minutes so I just want you to know that Grace is okay, that we're all taking care of her until you're awake and back on your feet so you don't have to worry about her. Just concentrate on getting better," Steve sighed. "I'm sorry I let you down. I screwed up and it almost got you killed, but I want you to know that we're nailing Hoffman to the wall and we're doing it right, by the book. You gotta get better, partner. Grace needs you…we all need you to get better."

Steve was at loss as to what else he could say. He didn't think Danny could hear him. The helplessness that he felt was paralyzing. He wasn't used to that and it made him feel useless.

"Commander, I'm afraid the time's up," the nurse said, interrupting his thoughts. "We should let Detective Williams rest. I'll keep you posted if anything changes."

He nodded and followed her out. He couldn't shake off the trembling in his hands and found himself rubbing them to steady them.

When he was outside of the recovery room, away from prying eyes, he felt his knees buckling under him and he had to brace himself against the nearest wall. It wasn't like him to feel completely unable to hold his emotions in check, but suddenly, he found himself unable to breathe. He turned his back to the wall and allowed himself to slide to the floor. He then put his hands over his face and wept, alone.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**Comfort**

**Chapter 10**

_"You're a good father."_

_"Yeh, maybe I don't know, you know? There's three ways of looking at it. One, I could get myself killed chasing some meth head scumbag and then what kind of father would I be?"_

_"I always looked up to my father for that, the sacrifices he made. I'm sure Grace is gonna feel the same way."_

_"Yeh, maybe. Either that or she may think I'm just a selfish son of a bitch, you know? Truth is, this is all I got. I need this. I want to do what I'm good at. I want to be reminded that I'm good at what I do. If that means having to put up with your twisted belief that you are never wrong, so be it."_

_"So, what's the third?"_

_"Well, even if I tell myself this isn't permanent, it's Gracie's home now. It's my job to keep it safe."_

Steve woke up from his dream with a start. He had been reliving when he and Danny had their first, serious conversation after they had met, Danny revealing his deep love for Grace and his fear for his daughter's view of him and his job. For Steve, Danny's words just cemented that he had made the right choice in a partner, that he may have misjudged Nick Taylor, but not Danny. Still, it had more to do with the kind of man Danny was and less about Steve's assessment of him. Steve's judgment was clearly flawed, but Danny's love for Grace and the law was absolute. That spoke volumes.

After allowing himself to break down in private outside of the recovery room, he regained control of his composure and returned to the waiting room. He was still shaky, still feeling like he had failed Danny, caused what had happened to him, but he needed to table it and put it behind him. His team, Danny's Grace and Danny himself needed him on point and he would not fail again.

He stood up to stretch his legs when Chin had come back after leaving to give the DA the tapes Danny had implicating Hoffman of extortion.

"Hey, Chin, does the DA have the tapes?"

"Yeh, turns out Danny had already given them to him. It was the DA who had taken so long in bringing charges because he had so many case files. It wasn't your fault, Steve. Guess Danny must have forgotten to tell you that he had taken the tapes."

Steve felt a load being lifted from his shoulders at the news. It didn't surprise him that Danny had just decided to take care of things himself. He was procedure all the way. Plus, he was probably thinking of Grace, wanting to make sure she'd be protected. Rachel and even Stan too. For all of Danny's rantings and railings against Stan, Steve knew Danny would never let his personal feelings get in the way of justice. First and foremost, though was Grace.

It didn't take away from the fact that Danny had been shot because Hoffman had been able send a hit out, but now they could all focus their energies on helping Danny get better. it was all that had mattered now.

Chin was happy to deliver some good news and saw the relief it brought to Steve's face.

"Was Hoffman taken into custody?"

"I took pleasure in doing it myself," Chin said with pride.

"Excellent," the relief was evident in Steve's voice.

"Where's Rachel and Grace?"

"I told them to go home and get some rest. Danny's got a long road ahead of him. They'll be back later."

"How about you, Boss?"

"I'm good."

"You look like a wreck, brah. Get cleaned up. I'll stay here until you get back. Where's Kono?"

"She's with Danny. She wanted to see him."

"Then we've got it covered. Get some sleep. I'll call if anything changes."

"Okay, I guess you're right. I know when I'm beat," Steve said as he smiled and rubbed his sore neck.

"Good thing," Chin smiled back.

Steve did feel exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but now that he knew Hoffman had been put away for good, he could give one hundred percent to everyone especially Danny.

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

**Comfort**

**Chapter 11**

Kono sat next to Danny's bed. Her heart aching for a friend who had treated her with respect and support for the few short months they had been a team. He had made her laugh and now, seeing him like this, was making her cry. It seemed unfair to her that such a good man, such a good father, such a courageous cop would be fighting for his life.

He had comforted her during one of her darkest times by just letting her be herself and understanding her need to solve her mentor's murder, but more important was his gift of belief in her. She had to admit that she had a bit of a crush on him. When they had played a couple kissing to get close to Frank Salvo before he could kill her cousin, there was an attraction for him in that moment, but she knew that his heart still belonged to his ex-wife. She wasn't jealous just a little envious at how lucky Rachel was to have some one like him in her life. Danny had been shot taking danger away from his family. In Kono's eyes, loyalty like that was difficult to find in a man and she admired it in Danny. She would be content and proud to be his partner in the 5-0 task force. It would be enough for her to have his friendship and professional loyalty.

She fingered the St. Michael's medal that he had given her at the mock graduation that they had held for her. It made sense that Danny would give her an intangible yet just as meaningful symbol of protection as a patron saint medal. Steve's gun and Chin's flashlight were great, but she knew that by giving her that medal, Danny had pledged his protection to her as well and he had proven that to all of them when he had pushed his body to its limits to take out the gunman threatening his friends. An act that had him fighting to survive.

She wiped the tears from her face then opened his left hand. She placed the medal in it and held it. The warmth from his hand reminded her that he was still with them and it comforted her. She allowed herself a quick kiss to his hand then looked at his face.

"Danny, you need this medal more than I do now, but I expect you to hand it back to me when you're well again, okay? I'm holding you to that. You have to come back to us..." Kono said, her voice becoming a squeak of emotion.

Suddenly she felt a quick and fleeting squeeze to her hand holding Danny's. It startled her for a moment and though the doctors would say it was involuntary, just a muscle spasm, she would grasp onto it as a sign, a sign of hope as only Danny could have given her. She squeezed his hand back, hoping he would feel her answer him back somehow.

"I'll take that as a promise, brah. Don't let us down," she said smiling, more tears, tears of hope this time, streamed from her eyes.

She knew that if there was a way to come back, he would do it.

She then reluctantly let go and walked away, closing her eyes in a silent wish.

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

**Comfort**

**Chapter 12**

A month had gone by with Danny still unconscious. There had been setbacks such as an infection and small additional internal bleeding, but the doctors had told them that such complications were not surprising given the severity of Danny's injuries and they had been optimistic because of how well he had responded to the antibiotics and to more surgery. Danny's vital signs had remained stable and strong.

Everyone had leaned on each other for support through those setbacks and their collective strength as well as Danny's resilience through them kept hope alive.

Once Danny had been stabilized, they had decided to remove the ventilator. The more Danny could breathe on his own, the better his chances of avoiding pneumonia which concerned the doctors the most. Once again, Danny had risen to the challenge with a strength that had never ceased to pleasantly surprise everyone. For every obstacle Danny had faced, he had overcome it. His battle to live had infused hope in everyone.

The next hurdle for him was to bring him slowly out of the induced coma. The doctors had warned not to expect Danny to just immediately emerge awake. They were giving Danny a chance to wake at his own pace so that they could get information they needed from him to continue his care like pain threshold, his muscle reactions, as well as brain function.

It was progress that everyone knew had been nothing short of miraculous. Leave it to Danny to pull off a miracle.

Danny had his own room in the ICU which allowed more privacy so each person did a turn at keeping vigil by his bedside. Though Grace couldn't stay with her Danno, she still got to visit whenever it was possible and each 5-0 member got to bring her with them when she could. Steve got to escort Grace this visit. She held his hand tightly, a piece of paper in the other as they walked towards the ICU. They entered the room together and her face reflected her concern. She looked up at Steve for reassurance.

"It's okay, Gracie, you don't have to be scared. Your dad is sleeping. He's getting better and better everyday."

She nodded, let go of Steve's hand and placed the paper she had in her hand next to Danny's hand. Steve spotted it and it was a brightly drawn card in crayon that said "I love you, Danno" on it. It made Steve smile.

"You can talk to him if you want to, sweetie."

Grace seemed tentative, still a little worried. Steve knew why and smiled.

"It's okay. He wants you to wake him up. It may take longer, but I know he wants to hear you talking to him," Steve told her.

Grace smiled back and walked up to the bed.

"Hey, Danno," she started. "Everyone says you're getting better and need to wake up now. I miss you and I think you should get up now. Maybe you'll wake up if I do it the way you wake me up."

Grace then threaded her hand through the railing of the bed and stroked her father's face with the back of her hand. Steve watched with awe at the love this little girl had for Danny, a love that Danny had nutured with his own devotion.

"I love you, Danno. Time to wake up."

Suddenly, Grace felt Danny's face move against her hand as if knowing it was there and who it was. It startled her for a second, but she didn't retract it. She just looked towards Steve. Steve saw it too, stood up and walked over to the bed.

"Danny?"

"Danno?"

A soft moan and more movement came from Danny and Steve could barely contain his excitement yet also tempering it in case it was just movement and nothing more.

"M...Monkey?" Danny uttered, his voice ragged and sounding dry.

"Yeh, Danno. It's me. Steve's here too. Wake up," Grace softly urged.

Steve was beaming with relief, but then saw Danny's face crinkle in confusion which worried him. Maybe he wouldn't remember that he had moved from New Jersey to Hawaii to be with Grace or that he had been hijacked by Steve to join the 5-0 task force.

"Super SEAL is here?" Danny asked.

Though his voice was weak, it still carried the sarcastic bite that Steve worried he would never hear again. Steve couldn't help laughing, it was a laugh of relief and joy.

"Yeh, yeh, I'm here, smart guy."

Danny looked around, trying to get his bearings. Last he remembered he thought he was dying and feeling regret that his worst fear was coming true, that he was leaving his daughter without a father and that she would hate him for it. He also remembered that he had stopped a gunman from killing his friends, his team.

"You, okay, Monkey?" Danny asked, not surprising to Steve that his first concern would be his Grace.

"Yeh, I'm okay, I just missed you so much."

"I'm going to be all right, sweetheart. Danno loves you."

"I love you too."

Steve watched the father-daughter reunion with a heartfelt sense of comfort.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to get the doctors. You stay here with your dad."

"Steve?" Danny said, fatigue hitting every inch of his body. "Thank you."

Danny's show of gratitude seemed unnecessary to Steve. He had saved his life, all their lives, but he also knew what really mattered to Danny and understood. He smiled and nodded as he left the room.

It was the best day of his life.

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 13

**Comfort**

**Chapter 13**

As the news spread that Danny had awakened, there was a wave of comfort and elation that had hit everyone. Though Danny couldn't handle a lot of visitors all at once just yet each person had to see for themselves that he was okay so they came by and stayed for as long as Danny's strength would hold. Everyone agreed that Rachel and Grace had to be the first ones.

Danny had been propped up by the elevated bed so that he could breathe better and be more comfortable. It also allowed him to see every one without straining. Rachel helped Grace onto the foot of the bed so she wouldn't hurt Danny, but could see him. It took everything he had not to reach out for his daughter and hug her, but he knew that it was more important for her to see that he was okay.

"How are you feeling, daddy?" She asked sweetly.

"Better and better, sweetheart. Even better now that you're here."

Grace beamed.

"Hey," Danny said as he turned his attention to Rachel. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Rachel said.

"For scaring you and Grace."

"It wasn't your fault, Danny. You did what you had to. It's why you're a good cop."

Danny nodded his appreciation of Rachel's admission and absolution, but he saw the fear in her eyes. He knew that she would never get used to a cop's life. It was what finally broke them apart, but it comforted him to know that she would accept his life and not deny him Grace because of it. They had finally come to peace with that. As much as it hurt, maybe being apart was for the best in the end. He knew now that no matter what, he and Rachel would be connected through Grace and that would be more than he could ask for.

"Besides, I should be the one to apologize. It's because of what Stan did that got you…" Rachel stuttered as emotion clogged her throat.

"No, no, Rachel, much as I hate to admit it, Stan did the right thing, but what he should have done was come to me first."

Danny had decided not to tell her about his intimidation act with Hoffman. It would just upset her. He was convinced that was what got him shot, but he wouldn't take it back for anything. He had put his daughter in danger. No one does that and gets away with it.

"It's all over now. The team has got him dead to rights. He's going away for a long time. He won't hurt you or Grace ever again."

Rachel smiled. Danny always did have a way of making her feel safe.

"I've gotta take Grace to school, but I promise to bring her back later."

"Okay. I'll see you later, Monkey."

"Okay, I love you, Danno."

"I love you more."

Grace hopped off the bed and the two of them walked away, hand in hand. Danny laid back, closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Hey," said a soft female voice.

Danny opened his eyes and saw Kono standing at the doorway.

"If you want to sleep, I can –"

"Nah, nah, come in. I'm good. I feel like Rip Van Winkle as it is."

Kono giggled. It never ceased to amaze her how Danny could find humor in everything.

"Just saw Rachel and Grace leave. I didn't want to interrupt. Things okay?"

"Yeh, actually, never better. I think the war between us is finally over," Danny said.

"That's great," Kono said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm glad you came by. Can you open that drawer for me?" Danny directed weakly with his head to the right.

Kono looked puzzled.

"Sure," she said as she opened it up then saw the Saint Michael's medal that she had left in Danny's hand weeks ago. She pulled it out.

"A nurse told me that she found that in my hand and put it into the drawer for me. Wouldn't happen to be yours, would it?" Danny smiled and teased.

Kono blushed a bit. She had forgotten about it.

"Uh, yeh, I…I figured you needed it more than I did," she tried to tease back as she struggled to keep the tears from filling her eyes.

Danny reached out and took the hand that held the medal. She looked up, cursing herself inwardly for being weak and blubbery in front of Danny. He squeezed her hand gently.

"Thanks."

"No problem, brah. I'm just glad that you're okay," Kono said, wiping her tears with the other hand.

Danny watched Kono act flustered and realization dawned on him that maybe her feelings for him went beyond simple friendship. He had just come to terms with his relationship with Rachel so he wasn't ready for anything serious, but looking into her caring eyes made his heart warm at the idea that maybe there could be more there than work and he was open to taking things slow and seeing where it would lead. He stroked her hand in his then gave her a smile that she knew was directed at her and her alone. She smiled back. She was suddenly filled with possibilities.

**TBC – Thanks for reading as always. This was for the fangirl in me and to live vicariously through a happy little fantasy.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Comfort**

**Chapter 14**

Danny had been what he called "interrogated" by his doctors about how he was feeling. Suddenly, he had sympathy for the criminals they had questioned relentlessly. He understood that it was necessary, but it didn't mean that it made the process less exhausting. He heard a knock at the door and looked over.

"Hey, Danny, how you holding up? Sorry I couldn't come by sooner. Chin and I were tying up some loose ends on a case."

"Translation paperwork you're favorite thing to do."

"Yeh, well, this was worth it. It was to put Hoffman away for good."

Danny nodded.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better, but I've never felt so tired. I'm getting winded just having the doctors and nurses poke and prod me. They just got finished interrogating me before you got here and I feel like I ran a marathon. I think I've gained some sympathy for the perps we grill."

Steve laughed. He had actually missed Danny's rants.

"Yeh, I get that. Been in my share of hospitals. So what's the verdict?'

"Well, I guess I'm getting better, but I'm a long way from chasing bad guys or being in a car with you."

Steve smiled, but it faded a little. Danny noticed.

"What? Do you know something I don't?" Danny teased.

"No, no, it's just…you came pretty damn close to…you scared us."

Danny watched Steve's features and there was a quality there that reminded him of the day that he had found out his supposed friend Nick Taylor had betrayed him and he had berated himself for not seeing it.

"What's with the face?"

"Again with the face, there's nothing with my face," Steve protested, though it was a feeble protest at best since he knew he wasn't doing a great job at hiding what he was feeling.

"Yes, you DEFINITELY have a face. Wait a minute, you don't think…you think it's your fault this happened to me, don't you?"

Steve was silent. Danny had learned that a silent Steve was usually a guilt-ridden Steve.

"You do, don't you? Now, how could any of this be your fault? Hoffman hired a goon to kill me. You seem to think you have some kind of psychic ability and you don't. What happened to me was because Hoffman is a scumbag. I ticked him off, told him I had the tapes and he went after me. End of story. Okay?"

Danny was always great at bringing things into a practical clarity when the rest of them got caught up in self-recrimination.

"Okay."

"If anyone has to apologize, it's me for dragging all of you into it. I'm sorry about that. I just thought that giving the DA the tapes would have closed the deal."

Steve had to smile. Danny always stuck to his credo, the one that he had introduced to him the first day they had met, when you get someone shot, you apologize.

"Nope, it's not your fault either, the DA didn't process Hoffman so it gave him time to set up the hit on all of us. That's been taken care of though. Chin and I made sure this time and Chin had the privilege of arresting Hoffman himself."

"Wish I had been there to see that," Danny said. "So, okay, we're square then. Hoffman's put away. Can we move on now?"

"Yeh, yeh, we can move on."

"Good because I'm hungry. All they're serving is green jello. A man just can't subsist on lime jello. It's inhuman. It's just unnatural. It's probably got all kinds of chemicals in it, I mean, face it, what could possibly be natural about green jello? I'm sure there's something about it in the Geneva Convention."

Steve just laughed and listened. He didn't think he would ever complain about Danny's ranting ever again because the silence for the last few weeks was agonizing for him. For better or worse, Danny's rants were comforting, they gave comfort in a way that Steve had never realized they could until they were taken from him. So he let Danny rant.

It was music to his ears.

**FIN. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed how I ended things. Thanks for all of the reviews and kind words! They meant more than I can express.**


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